If You Are Still Doing It,

If you are still doing it, 💫

Okay, I was like: Imma write a drabble the way it’s supposed to be. I’m a pro.Spoiler: I didn’t, so this just turned out to be a weird oneshot. I got too much into it. Enjoy.Song: So Close - Jon McLaughlin“So close to reaching that famous happy end,Almost believing this one’s not pretend.”There she is, capturing something more than his view.Again, as if it took her no effort. But how? What was she doing here? Did anything other than her arrival matter anymore?Somehow, she looked more stunning than this morning, when they bumped into each other on the street. She made small steps trough the hall and he could see red shoes shyly showing their tips underneath her long dress. The dress swayed with each movement. From head to toe, the dress gradually turned from blue to red. Just the experience of looking at her seemed surreal.She noticed him, but then another man wanted her attention. She turned her head towards his black glasses and brown hair, then listened to his whispers and nodded until, finally, he walked away. Her gaze followed him before he got lost in the crowd.Her amber eyes met the black one again. She smiled. Resumed her pace towards him. Before he knew it, she was two feet away, the orchestra crept into the silence and he reached out.“Would you like to dance?” Pause. “Yes.”She gave him his hand and they both joined the dance floor.She placed her hand in his and spread her fingers across his shoulder. In return, his hand went underneath her shoulder blade and his eyes to hers.In the few steps that followed, the white-haired man noticed an unexpected security in her movements. It was almost as if the girl wasn’t the very klutz that spilt his tea. “You’re a pretty good dancer.”She looked away from the intense stare. An agonizing pause.“I thought I’d never see you again.”This statement made her tense and her eyes returned to his with a sheepish smile.“You’d want to?”The singer’s voice kept carrying them across the hall.“More than I’m willing to admit.”“Well, saying ‘yes’ is satisfying enough.”“Well, I guess that makes us both pleasantly surprised.”“Ehm, ‘pleasantly surprised’ doesn’t even begin to describe it”He chuckled.“What does?”Step, step, sigh.“I wish I could tell you.”He nodded in understanding. The conversation ended. They were both carried by the waves of the song into the waltz that was like a ship over the depths of each other’s eyes. Synchronised with the singer’s voice, like it was all planned outSo far, we are…The music started changing it’s pace.“Miss, if you don’t mind, I would like to try something”“I don’t.”“Hold tight.”Her expression showed how she read his intention and her grip tightened. His footwork became faster with each next step as they moved. She followed and her dress did too. The world became hazy. Guests. Marble pillars. Grand chandeliers. All gone.What remained was his smile and the bubble of laughter that wanted to escape her.It felt like-“Miss Bordeaux!”They stopped. The man with glasses from before stood as close as he had to be, looking displeased. Her partner gave them a confused glance. Glasses ignored him. His unpleasant attention was directed at the redhead. She turned to her partner and bowed.“I’m grateful for the pleasant dance.”“The feeling is mutual.”The brown haired man coughed and the girl hesitated before turning towards him. She rushed as she looked down at her feet.Her partner stood there for a few moments before walking towards the exit himself. Time to leave came too early. His friends will forgive him. As for the host, he’ll come up with an excuse.What about her?He’ll probably never see her again. Fate doesn’t give two chances so easily. Three is pretty much impossible. He knows how cruel it is. But…He can’t help but hope.Now he knows the name he yearned for all day.

Her fingers are hesitantly pressed against the door. She swims through all the possible reasons of inviting her this late to his office. Sigh. Resign. Knock.

The familiar scent of paper and salt always managed to soothe Riza's nerves which were tense for multiple reasons. However, she wanted her unrest hidden, so she ignored the bookshelf covering the entire right wall and the crates and chests to her left. Her focus was in front of her instead, where two black boots rested on the messy desk, a chin rested on one arm. The captain's brow was furrowed toward the window, contradicting his relaxed manner. After a blink his eye jumped to hers and Riza almost drowned. She didn't have to hide anything, he knew.

"Good evening, sir."

His boots made a thud as their soles hit the floorboards.

"Evening, Hawkeye."

His coat, draped over his chair, and his shirt, unbuttoned to the unprofessional level, were enough for her to see that there was no emergency in sight.

"Sorry for disturbing you this late. I just wanted to talk, seeing how lately you..."

...have been avoiding me.

She knew how the sentence ended. Maybe that's why he didn't finish it. That, or he didn't want to confirm his doubts.

"I don't mind, sir. Talking to you has always been a pleasure."

Until you kissed me.

"Ditto."

They had this strange staring contest for a couple of breaths.

Ah, kisses. They have this power to turn details to unforgettable and make one aware of just how quickly things can get out of hand. But that didn't stop her from wondering just how much of a mess would the next kiss make. Kissed by the most terrifying man of the Amestrian seas. A thing to put in her resume.

It was strange how in the course of these few weeks she managed to become a member of the Hawk's crew, make her way through the ranks and gain the trust of the infamous Roy Mustang. Not only did she have his trust, but he had hers and that was probably the strangest thing that has happened.

"Let us proceed to the deck. I planned our conversation to be held there."

What am I doing?

He stood up and then opened the door for her.

I was a soldier

He closed the door behind her.

A soldier loyal to his Excellency

They made their way through the hall.

Maybe I still am

He opened the door.

Whatever I might be, he's a-

On the deck, not in the centre, but slightly closer to their left. There has been set a table for two. Candles, silky tablecloth and roses. There was Breda, playing the accordion at an acceptable proximity.

Riza stared at the sight for a moment, then turned to see how Captain's mysterious smirk turned into a mischievous grin. He held out his hand.

"Shall we?"

"Uhm, sir?"

"I truly hope you didn't regret coming with me when... I did that. I'll leave you alone and even let you go back to Amestris, if you desire so. But if not, please, dance with me tonight."

It took a moment of hesitation. A moment of that firm no, telling her the consequences of her actions. A moment and then she gave him her hand.

I'll become your accomplice

Roy's grin somehow widened and it seemed he wanted to show her all the jigs that he knew. His quick feet knew seemed to know every dance and even make up some of their own. Step by step and Riza did as well.

"You're a quick learner."

She saw an opportunity.

"Let's see how you fare."

She pulled him into the Amestrian waltz, the one that only the higher layers of society could dance with the exception of her, a bodyguard able to learn it at the Bradley estate. She took the lead while he was fumbling around on his feet, eye wide. She lead him through the waltz's changing pace, that barely matched Breda's efforts. Roy marvelled her skill and then noticed her smug smile. With the movement of a thief, he switched them so that now he was in the leading position.

"I think I got the hang of it."

The steps that he made were certainly elegant and connected, but lacked the elements that made the waltz. He simply couldn't replicate her fast steps.

He raised his soft smile to her and she let out a laugh.

"We should dance more often."

Sorry, it ends here. I can't be bothered to correct the mistakes right now so forgive me for that. Hope you enjoyed it. Thank @tomochingus for this beautiful art.

god they’re so in love

Here's an oneshot based on this amazing art by @sowwysap

The forest floor was painted with hundreds of afternoon shadows. Leaves were gently swaying in the silent breeze that carried birdsongs. Scents of various herbs blended within the fresh mountain air.

There, walking through this idyllic setting, was a girl carrying a basket. Her red riding hood waved in a greeting to the forest it visited.

Seeing how frequently she walked through the said forest, her rushed walk and nervous behaviour were all the more strange.

This has to be the way! I just can't get lost again, right? They should mark this damn trail! What even is up with this map!?

While she was cursing the mapmaker in her head, a twig snapped nearby. The riding hood quickly turned towards the sound. A pair of amber eyes underneath was filled with dread and, soon after, fear.

Oh no.

Within the forest shade stood a black wolf. It looked at her intensely and awaited the next move.

It looks hungry.

The wolf made the tiniest step. The girl held back a scream.

What should I do? Can I run? Hide? Fight? Maybe I can make it to the nearest tree? Yes, that'll do. Throw the basket to get it's attention and then make a run for it. Oh please, make it work!

But before she could do anything, a quick shadow jumped at the wolf from behind. The girl let out a yelp and while she was backing away, the wolf let out a desperate cry.

Terrifying

Her legs started running. Away from the terrifying. Away, just away, no other reason than to live. However, the sprint didn't last that long. She soon heard a voice very closely behind.

"Wait!"

She turned around and let out a scream very much like the black wolf. Behind her was a wolf - no a man - a wolf-man? Running at an inhumane pace he was catching up to her with ease. He unintentionally revealed his fangs. The girl was mostly intimidated by the yellow animal-like eye that was visible underneath his hair. It was hypnotic with it's feral glow. But after he blinked, in that one short moment, the eye changed to a human one. Perfectly black.

She found herself on the ground, in pain. The wolf caught up to her - not with his legs, but his eyes.

"Are you alright?"

His deep voice left traces of worry, but the girl kept backing away, on all fours. She was still on the ground and her hands grabbed at moss and twigs as she eyed him intensely. Only after her red hood embraced the bark of a nearby tree, she stopped and opened her mouth as if to scream again.

His expressions changed as she moved. First worry while she was laying. Then curiosity and confusion, once she started backing away. Realisation. Sadness, after her frightful gaze.

In the end, resignation.

His wolf ears got progressively lower with each emotion. The black eye looked to a distant corner of the forest, hiding spilled feelings away.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you", pause, "I thought it was a given, since I already saved your life."

The words relaxed the girl somewhat. She was no longer gripping the tree with a thirst for survival. Her eyes moved towards his bare feet. They were very much like wolf paws.

"S-so you aren't the big bad wolf that is going to, to eat me?"

"That's a really harmful stereotype, you know"

"I'm sorry. I... uh, well, I didn't read your intentions quite well earlier and I... well, many people don't really have many chances to see..."

She gestured towards him. He looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah, there still isn't a name for what I am."

"I hope that someone someday comes up with a good one. But I believe that your name is more important than the name of... your kind."

His smile became sheepish.

"Well, my friends call me White, so you can use that, I guess."

"Interesting..."

"What is?"

"My friends call me Red", she removed her hood to reveal a bush of ruby red hair. A mischievous strand of hair waved at the world. And like two berries on a magical plant, her amber eyes looked ripe and lively. The beauty of her round face bloomed as she smiled.

"I see. Well, Red", he crouched so they were on the same eye level, "What are you doing here?"

Being able to observe him properly for the first time, Red had to confess that he had a very pleasant appearance. His silver hair, despite being messy, was in harmony with his fair skin. The said skin had no irregularities, no such thing as scars or birthmarks. Like a polished knife, where the only stain is his inky eye. His wolf ears managed to blend with his hair, making his fangs the only unsettling irregularity.

Beautiful

"I, uhm, I work as a courier and I pass here quite often. What are you doing here? No, why did you save me? How did you manage to kill that wolf so quickly?"

"Kill? Oh no, you're mistaken, I only scared it away with some... mild injuries. I may be a wolf, but I am also a man. I am not a murderer. I am also not a thief."

Red looked confused until she saw his hand reach out. Within the grasp of his clawed fingers was her basket.

"Oh my. I've completely forgotten about it!", she took it, then looked at it's contents, "Thank you! I, I don't know how else to thank you."

"It's alright, I am just-"

A howl. Accompanied by another. White quickly tensed at the sound, then looked to the left. They both did. But nothing came.

"I-Is that another wolf?", Red tensed against the tree again.

"It's another me.", he said while looking at the sky.

Another one of his kind!

"Don't worry, it's a friend of mine. Member of my pack. There's like five of us in total. All friendly. All curious. None malicious. Some of them enjoy scaring away humans."

Some of them enjoy scaring away humans

Without a warning, he let out a howl. Unlike his voice, it was high and got progressively lower. It reached out into the sky, over the trees. Once he stopped, a self-satisfied smirk graced his lips. His ears and eyes focused towards the left. They were frozen for a few seconds until the next howl came. White's smirk became even more self-satisfied.

"They're not coming here, but we're gonna meet somewhere else."

She let out a huff: "I'm glad. I'm too tired to meet more wolfmen, no offense."

"I get it."

She looked around.

"What is it?"

"N-Nothing."

He squinted at her.

"It's just that, it's getting kinda late and I'm supposed to bring this to the northwest edge of the forest."

He looked at the ground like he was weighing his choices.

"Do you have a map?"

"Huh?"

"A map. I'm going to help you."

"O-Oh, no there's no need to-"

"I know that, but I will help you regardless. Now give me the map."

She handed him the yellowish paper.

"Good, now let's see..."

"It's a really bad map, I personally cannot read it properly."

"It is kind of old, but its still accurate. We're, somewhere... around... here.", he pointed at a place within north eastern part of the forest.

"I'm supposed to meet my friends... here."

This time, his finger was at the south-eastern part, near the middle and a lake.

"Now, information that matters to you. You're supposed to... go... in that", he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, "direction. Go forward until you reach the river, then just follow it's course. There's a path nearby that leads to the village, I'll escort you and then..."

We part ways.

"Whatever you do, I don't care what comes at you, or how do you plan to face it. Do not, I repeat, do not stray away from the path. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Promise me you'll do so"

"I promise."

"Then let's go."

They walked in comfortable silence. Compared to his quiet walk, Red felt like she had a bells attached to her feet. His ears would turn, sensing something she could not. She could swear that at some point he sniffed the air like a hound, or more appropriately, a wolf.

They walked in comfortable silence. Maybe he was quiet because he was so busy doing what was his routine. She was quiet because she was busy doing something completely out of her routine.

How well can he see? Do his feet ever hurt? Does he ever run on all fours? How does he scratch himself with those claws?

Her mind was filled with irrelevant thoughts.

And very relevant ones.

Was he born this way? Does he ever wish to be a human? Is he lonely? Sad? Lost in a way that I'm not? Why is he helping me?

And so their time went by. Once White stopped, she felt the hit of reality.

"This is the path."

"Oh well, thank you. I owe you."

Silence. No movements.

He then turned around and began walking.

"Wait!"

A halt. He turns around.

"Will I ever see you again?"

The black eye widened.

"I, ugh, I don't know. Very unlikely, I do live here, but if you ever stumble upon this place again..."

He trailed off after seeing her face.

"I'm sure we'll bump into each other again someday."

She looked at him.

"See you around then."

The man smiled, then turned around to look at the sky. The wolf kept walking, his tail neatly flowing around his feet. Red stood there. Before she turned around a word came to her, flying like a leaf carried by the wind.

Someday

little red riding hood gets a little lost…

I love that pirate AU you wrote! Do you have a FFN/AO3 account with more things to read? :o

Unfortunately no...

...T YET, HELL YEAH I'LL MAKE ONE AND LINK IT HERE

Thank you so much for reading, Anon, I actually was contemplating about making an account on some writing platform because this blog's pretty dead and I still have a lot of unfinished projects.

Thanks again and have some virtual cookies🍪🍪🍪

shading colour tips

hey yall its me the Art Mom™ to help you shade pretty

rule 1: DO NOT SHADE WITH BLACK. EVER. IT NEVER LOOKS GOOD. 

red- shade with a slightly darker shade of purple

orange- slightly darker and more saturated shade of red

yellow- i think like..a peach could work but make it a really light peach

green- shade with darker and less saturated shade of blue or teal

blue- shade with purple

purple- a shade thats darker than the purple you’re using and maybe a little pink (MAYBE blue)

pink- darker shade of red

white- a really light lavender or blue..or i guess any really light colour??

black- okay listen dont use pure black to colour anything unless you want to leave it with flat colours because you cant really shade black lol

grey- a slightly darker shade of purple or blue (less saturated)

brown- slightly darker and less saturated shade of purple or red

aaaaand thats all i got lol. let me know if there is anything i should add to this list!!

Ok, I am officially DONE. I haven't seen this show but there's so much amazing fanart that I must write something. Like seriously, look at this! Fanart always sells the fandom. Hopefully the Miraculous fandom will forgive any OOC-ness or plot inconsistencies

It sounds like Chopin

"Make yourself at home, I'll be there in a minute."

He left her in his room before going downstairs to order some snacks for him and his good friend. Adrien had some school project that he was assigned to finish with Marinette, so the least he could do after leaving the planning to the more capable head is to make sure she's well fed.

As he opens the door to his room, he finds Marinette sitting at his piano, gliding her fingers over the smooth keys. She doesn't dare to press any and instead chooses to smile softly to herself for God knows what reason. He closed the door a tad more loudly, making her turn to him with her awkward, anxious smile. They stood like that for a moment before he forced a cough.

"What do you think?"

"M-me? Auhm, well, I don't really, It's beautiful, Adrien, the piano, but I had no idea you could play the piano, uhm, I just think thats.. neat."

"Neat?" He smiled at her words, but that didn't seem to ease her nerves and approaching her and leaning on the polished black surface didn't help either.

"I'm glad you like it. It's been a while since I played it, ehm, but my father insists that I practice every day."

"I'm, I'm quite sure you're good at it."

He smiles at her again and she jumps like she didn't expect it.

"Would you like me to play something for you?"

For some reason Marinette just kep staring at him, mouth parted, clearly wanting to say yes, but maybe staying silent because she didn't want to nag him.

"Scoot over."

She scooted to the very edge of the seat.

"Anything you'd like to hear?"

"Well, I, I don't really know much about classical music, but, I, listened to Chopin a few times, It's well, my grandmother can play a few songs, so maybe something from him?"

"Well, you really know what to pick, Chopin is, something."

"You don't have to if, if you don't want to."

"I do", he smiled, "I think I remember one that I used to like a lot"

His fingers brushed over the first keys before he breathed in and summoned the first notes. The room was soon filled with the sorrowful melody that could only be assigned to it's creator. Adrien closed his eyes, allowing himself to be led by his ears and hands. Just sounds, but arranged in such a way that pricked the heart of the listener.

Sorrow was Chopin's signature, after all.

Small hands, hands of a boy, on top of his mother's, playing the piano.

Adrien opened his eyes. The hands on the keys were only his. His heart jumped, but he kept playing, focusing harder.

He's lost a tooth last week. The kitchen still smells of apple pie. He's sitting in his mothers lap, watching carefully as his mother reads the mystical music sheets and translates them to music. He looks up to see her face only to catch her staring at him with a smile. Her smile. The kind that comes from the bottom of a person's soul. The smile of true happiness. The smile that would make even his father-

Wrong key.

He returned to the present, shaking.

Adrien, mama can't play right now.

Despite his controlled breath and slow blink, tears rolled down his face.

Don't be sad, we'll play some other time.

"Adrien?"

He covered his eyes with his hand. A sob escaped him. Marinette gently touched his shoulder and he turned to her, still wiping at the tears that just. Won't. Stop. Falling.

Marinette embraced him. He didn't register her at first until he felt warm hands caressing his hair. She didn't ask but he still felt the need to explain, at least partially, his sudden outburst.

"I miss her, Marinette, I miss her so much, but she's, gone."

"It's okay Adrien, let it out."

"I'm, I'm sorry, Ma-"

"There's nothing to apologize for, I understand."

Adrien kept on crying, letting out parts of the grief his quivering soul held all this time. The memories, the hopes and regrets all threatening to choke him with each new breath.

Marinette didn't speak, just held him tighter.

… [x]